How was the writing and recording process for this album? It was so much fun! I always start without thinking, playing an acoustic guitar, letting my hands wander about the fretboard, and listening for melodies echoing off the back of my mind. For Daybreak, once I had the basic skeleton of a song, I would begin working on the lyrics, tying together the themes from Sound The Alarm and Under The Boards. I had an enormous chart where I had posted all the lyrics from the trilogy, and I was highlighting important themes and making notes in the margins. When I had a good sense of where the idea wanted to evolve, I would get out the pen and work on the lyrics starting with one or two quality ideas as building blocks. After I had the basic structure of the album composed, I showed the songs to Arun, our guitar player, and we started to demo the ideas together. Arun had incredible ideas right off the bat, such as slowing down certain songs, or cutting out the drums for dramatic effect, and trimming the fat here and there. Hearing his guitar parts was wild, because his style is so strange, with the combination of his pedals, his use of the Bigsby, and his feel and tone, I was blown away. So we were in heaven right at the start. When we had the songs where we wanted them, we showed the rest of the band and then we headed to the studio to record in earnest. Once you're in the studio, you typically record the drums first, then bass, then guitars, then vocals, then extra background magic. And then it's done. I was thrilled to be in the studio with Arun and Rodrigo, because they have an inherent sense of how to approach the recording. Rodrigo knew exactly what to do to get the right backbeat flowing and Arun had the ears to pick out all the right tones for the guitars. It was a joy for me to watch the album come to life.
Also, With three different albums on the same concept how much did the recording process vary or stay the same between each? The recording process itself was more or less the same with each album of the trilogy. However, we went to a different studio to track Daybreak. We recorded the first two albums at our home studio in Chico, California, but for Daybreak, we went to Fenton, Michigan to record at our co-producer Marc Hudson's studio, Audiolux. Marc's space is enormous and he is an incredible engineer, so we thought it was a good fit. At Marc's place, you're stranded in the woods, with no distractions, and nothing but guitars, pianos, and drums everywhere you look. It was like being at camp for grownups. We all slept in bunk beds and had bonfires and barbecues. It was a blast.
How have fans reacted to your three album concept idea so far? Our fans absolutely love the trilogy. I think it was important for them to see me evolve in such a positive way. If you pay close enough attention to the lyrics on all the Saves The Day albums, you hear someone who is searching for peace, someone conflicted and confused. Finally, through the release of the inner turmoil on the trilogy, our fans get to see me turn around to face life again, to embrace what is happening inside and out, as opposed to running from life and fighting the pain. Daybreak gives in to the storm, puts its head in the mouth of the lion and says, "I have no fear."
How does it feel to finally have this album trilogy complete and out there in the world? It feels like a triumph. I worked hard for years to bring this album to life, and without Arun and Rodrigo, the trilogy would never have come together the way it did. So it's nice to share the feeling of accomplishment together. Daybreak is already a success in our minds, because it's everything we wanted it to be and more, and it brings the trilogy to a perfect conclusion.
With this three part album concept now complete, what do you plan on doing next as a band? Or is it maybe to early to think about the next release? In my opinion, it's never too early to start thinking about new material. I'm always writing songs. Always envisioning the next album. The music tends to change with my mood, so at the moment, it seems like the new music will be upbeat rock with strange chords, haunted melodies, bizarre lyrics, and a large helping of Weird with a capital W.